Honestly, the way we pick a president is kinda weird. Most people think it’s a simple "more votes wins" situation. It isn't. In the 2024 election, things felt a bit different because, for the first time in two decades, the person who moved into the White House also won the national tally.
Donald Trump pulled in 77,303,568 votes, which was about 49.8% of the total. Kamala Harris finished with 75,019,230 votes, or 48.3%. That’s a gap of more than two million people. It marks a huge shift from 2016, where Trump won the presidency but lost the election results popular vote to Hillary Clinton by nearly three million votes.
Why the Election Results Popular Vote Still Drives People Crazy
The United States doesn't actually have one big national election. We have 51 smaller ones (the states plus D.C.). Because of the Electoral College, you can technically lose the popular vote and still get the keys to the Oval Office.
It’s happened five times in our history.
- 1824: Andrew Jackson won the most votes, but John Quincy Adams became president after a "corrupt bargain" in the House of Representatives.
- 1876: Samuel Tilden won the popular vote by 3 points, but Rutherford B. Hayes won the presidency by a single electoral vote after a massive dispute.
- 1888: Grover Cleveland got more votes, but Benjamin Harrison took the electoral lead.
- 2000: Al Gore won the national count, but George W. Bush won Florida (and the election) after a Supreme Court battle.
- 2016: Hillary Clinton won the popular vote by 2.1%, but Donald Trump won the "Blue Wall" states and the presidency.
The 2024 Shift: A Different Kind of Result
In 2024, the "split" didn't happen. Trump became the first Republican since George W. Bush in 2004 to win both the Electoral College and the national popular vote. This matters because it changes the mandate a president feels they have.
👉 See also: Ethics in the News: What Most People Get Wrong
When a candidate wins the most people but loses the office, it feels... wrong to a lot of folks. In 2024, the Republican coalition expanded in ways experts didn't see coming. For instance, Trump nearly doubled his support among Black voters compared to 2020. He also made massive gains with Hispanic men, winning 55% of men in that group.
Basically, the map turned redder almost everywhere, not just in the swing states. Even in deep-blue New York and California, the margins narrowed. This is why the election results popular vote looked so different this time around; it wasn't just about a few thousand voters in Pennsylvania.
Can We Ever Fix the System?
There is a quiet movement trying to change how this works without needing to rewrite the whole Constitution. It’s called the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact (NPVIC).
As of early 2026, 17 states and D.C. have signed on.
✨ Don't miss: When is the Next Hurricane Coming 2024: What Most People Get Wrong
They have 209 electoral votes combined. They need 270 to "activate" the plan. Once they hit 270, those states agree to give all their electoral votes to whoever wins the national popular vote, regardless of who won their specific state.
Critics say this would make candidates ignore small states. Supporters say candidates already ignore 43 states to focus on the same seven "battlegrounds" every four years. Both sides have a point.
What the Numbers Actually Tell Us About 2026 and Beyond
If you look at the Pew Research data from 2025, you see that turnout is still the king of all metrics. The 2024 election had a 64% turnout rate. That's the second-highest since 1960.
People are engaged, but they're also polarized.
🔗 Read more: What Really Happened With Trump Revoking Mayorkas Secret Service Protection
Interestingly, naturalized citizens—immigrants who became voters—shifted 17 points toward the GOP between 2020 and 2024. That is a massive demographic earthquake. If you’re looking at the election results popular vote as a way to predict the future, you have to look at these specific subgroups.
Actionable Steps for the Informed Voter
Understanding the math is one thing, but knowing what to do with it is another. If the current system bothers you—or if you love it—here is how you can actually engage with it:
- Check your state's status on the NPVIC. If you want the popular vote to determine the winner, see if your state legislature has debated the National Popular Vote bill. It’s often moving through committees without much fanfare.
- Look past the "Red vs. Blue" labels. Use sites like the American Presidency Project or Pew Research to see how your specific county voted compared to four years ago. The trends often start locally before they hit the national stage.
- Recognize the "Swing State" Trap. If you live in a "safe" state like Texas or Hawaii, your vote for president doesn't "count" toward the Electoral College in the same way a vote in Wisconsin does. However, it always counts toward the national popular vote total, which sets the political tone for the next four years.
- Volunteer for local election boards. The popular vote is only as good as the people counting it. Most counties are desperate for non-partisan poll workers who just want to ensure the math is right.
The election results popular vote will always be a point of friction in American life as long as the Electoral College exists. Whether it’s a "safety valve" or an "outdated relic" depends entirely on who you ask, but the 2024 numbers proved that the coalition of voters in America is shifting faster than the rules of the game.